After seven years of development, Bethesda Game Studios has finally announced Fallout 4 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC. With new gameplay footage, game mechanics, and customization features, it’s easy to get caught up in all the hype. But what did Todd Howard mess up with the newest installment? What can we expect from the Bethesda?

Voiced Protagonist/Dialogue Wheel

One of the bigger aspects of Fallout is role-playing. After all, it is a role playing game. That’s why it hurts to see a pre-determined generic voice actor take over the role of MY character. You can still choose what to say and what to do, but it looks like it will be limited to good choice versus neutral choice versus bad choice. Three flavors. Yum. The one thing that really distances itself from the fallout series is the dialogue wheel. Now it feels like Mass Effect instead of Fallout. Fallout 4 lost its charm to the generic “role-playing” of modern games. It might be fleshed out by November, but until then, I’ll stay skeptical on the role-playing.

The Graphics

Ever since the dawn of gaming, people have told me “It’s not all about the graphics! The gameplay is the most important part! Just look at Minecraft!” Well listen here, folks, there’s a difference between aesthetic art direction, and a blotchy mess of graphics. The proof is in the pudding. Everything from the dog—not Dogmeat—to the ground it stands on looks like it’s straight out of 2010. I wouldn’t mind if it were last generation, but the bar has been raised. Bethesda will have to bring more to the table if they want to play with the big boys. I’ll be patiently waiting for graphical enhancement mods on the PC release.

And that’s about it

There’s a lot to get excited about. Everything from the new Power Armor to the expanded weapon modifications makes Fallout 4 worth a ride on the hype train. Replay New Vegas and Fallout 3 asap to get into the Fallout groove.